Betsy Price April 26, 2022 Headlines, Health

Delaware residents can discard their expired or unused medications — as well as needles — Saturday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at a variety of places around the state.

Delaware’s version of the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is designed to reduce the chances of people misusing prescriptions, accidentally or deliberately.

The event, run by the state Division of Public Health, is one way governments fight the opioid epidemic.

“The addiction for far too many people living with substance use first began because they had access to prescription medications from the homes of someone they know,” said Dr. Karyl Rattay, DPH director. “By safely turning in your prescription medications that have expired, or that you no longer need, on Drug Take-Back Day, you can help fight the epidemic in Delaware while also making your home safer.”

According to the state Division of Forensic Science, there were 515 overdose deaths in 2021 in Delaware, a 15% increase from the 447 reported in 2020.

According to the 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 16.1 million people reported misusing a prescription drug in the last year. A majority of the drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet.

The drugs to be disposed of at the Take-Back Day locations must be in a container such as a pill bottle, box, blister pack or zipped plastic bag, with personal information removed. Liquid medications must be in their original containers. Besides medications, vape pens and e-cigarettes will be collected if the batteries are removed.

There are 25 locations participating in Saturday’s Take Back event, including police departments. You can enter your zip code into a location finder here to pick the closest one.

Delawareans can check here to find a place to bring used needles to be disposed of properly.

Individuals will need to sign a waiver stating that needles are from home use because the collection sites are not designed for commercial entities.

Outside of health care facilities, an estimated 7.8 billion injections occur a year, according to solid waste and recycling organization Waste 360. Once recycled, needles can result in accidental sticks carrying blood-borne pathogens.

The safest way to dispose of needles is to use a designated Sharps disposal container. which is delivered to incinerators so that accidental exposure cannot occur.

Three of the DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back locations — Middletown, Wyoming, and Selbyville Police Departments — will also be offering Overdose Response Training and Narcan distribution to the public.

It is recommended that anyone who has a prescription opioid or has friends and family who use opioid prescriptions or illicit drugs receive this training and the overdose reversal medication, Narcan. For other community trainings and free Narcan, go here.

Delaware also has 28 permanent medicine drop-off locations across the state available year-round. Six are in Walgreens pharmacies and the other 22 are in local law enforcement agencies.

DPH and community partners also distribute medication deactivation bags to the public to use at home.

For a list of permanent collection sites and how to get a free disposal bag, go here.

For more details about drug take-back day, go here.

DART is building its fleet of electric buses and soon will have 26 in service.   If you haven’t already, it won’t be long before you see electric buses operating on Delaware roadways. Delaware Transit Corp., which operates Delaware’s DART buses, has received a $3.5 million grant to purchase six electric buses. This marks the fourth grant DART has received from the Federal Transit Authority to expand its electric bus fleet. In total, the transportation organization has received $9.1 million in grants from the federal government to purchase alternative-fuel buses.  DART currently operates 16 electric buses statewide with an additional 4 going into service this fall. The six additional buses to be purchased with the latest grant will bring the fleet total to 26 electric buses, or about 10% of the current fixed-route diesel buses. “Electric buses last longer, are cleaner, easier to maintain, produce zero emissions and offer the same capacity for riders compared to their diesel relatives,” DART said in a press release.  According to the Department of Transportation, electric buses produce 90% fewer particulates, can travel up to 250 miles on a single charge and can quickly recharge so they’re able to run all day. The grant comes just one week after Gov. John Carney signed a bill to encourage the installation of more electric vehicle charging stations throughout the state. SB 21, sponsored by Sen. Stephanie Hansen, D-Glasgow, gives state agencies the ability to recuperate the cost of installing and operating electric vehicle charging stations by allowing them to charge user fees, so long as the fees do not exceed their costs.  The bill passed nearly unanimously in the legislature with 3 Republicans voting ‘no’ in the House and 1 Republican voting ‘no’ in the Senate.  There are currently six electric buses operating in and around Dover and 10 operating in Wilmington and Rehoboth Beach.  It’s not clear where the new buses will operate, but DART plans to continue adding electric buses to its fleet.  “The need for alternative modes of transportation grows daily as does the need for cleaner transportation,” said Nicole Majeski, transportation secretary. “We are grateful for this grant and the opportunity continue to explore ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while continuing to provide the highest quality transportation services to the community.”

The limit for private indoor gatherings, such as dinner and birthday parties, remains at 10 people.

League of Women Voters proposed redistricting of Sussex County. Delaware’s state House and Senate districts must be redrawn and approved by Nov. 7, but legislative leaders have yet to announce a date to convene a special session to vote on the new district lines.  In August, a broad coalition of community organizations sent an open letter calling on Democratic House and Senate leadership to ensure a fair, transparent, nondiscriminatory, and politically impartial process. On Thursday, one of the letter’s signatories, Common Cause of Delaware, said in a press release, “One month without any response from state leaders has passed since Common Cause of Delaware and a broad coalition of community organizations sent a letter asking for a fair and transparent redistricting process.” Common Cause of Delaware is now demanding that state legislators “start communicating with the public about this year’s redistricting cycle.” “Redistricting will impact our elections for the next decade and the people of Delaware deserve to have a meaningful say in the process,” said Claire Snyder-Hall, director of Common Cause of Delaware. “A completely transparent and public redistricting process will ensure we draw fair maps that benefit our communities, not the politicians. It’s time for state leaders to come forward with details about this year’s redistricting process.” Every 10 years after the federal census is conducted, the legislature is required to redraw voting districts to reflect population changes. Many expect several districts in the northern part of the state to move south as population grows near the beaches and inland.  The district boundaries are adjusted by way of a regular statute and are subject to gubernatorial approval or veto. Districts are required by state law to be contiguous and can not unduly favor any person or party, or disenfranchise groups of voters, including racial and ethnic minority groups.   Common Cause of Delaware said Delaware’s “politicians have the power to draw their own district’s maps, allowing them to determine their voters in elections for the next decade.” To have that power and not allow adequate time for public input “means there is no check for any politicians who want to draw district lines that split cities or tear neighborhoods apart if it is politically advantageous,” the group said.  The legislature’s deadline for producing the updated district maps was originally June 30, 2021, but six days before that deadline, the General Assembly voted to delay the completion date until Nov. 7, 2021. The deadline was postponed in order to accommodate delays in retrieving accurate census data.  HCR 32, passed on June 23, 2021, said “the final plan or plans to be voted on by the Delaware General Assembly should be a product of a public process.”  In an open letter signed by The League of Women Voters, Common Cause of Delaware, the ACLU of Delaware and 13 others, the groups said they agreed that the citizens of Delaware must have opportunities to provide public comment and see maps. “We ask that the House and Senate establish dates for open hearings in each of New Castle, Kent and Sussex counties and the city of Wilmington before any maps are created by drafters at the House and Senate levels, and once created are also subject to public hearings on their fairness to all communities of interest within the State before putting into final form,” the letter read.  The groups asked the Democratic leadership to ensure that public hearings are held, at a minimum, 30 days after receipt of the final census data and again 30 days after the maps are proposed by the General Assembly.  State leaders have not shared any information about the current redistricting cycle, including a timeline or how to participate. Lawmakers thought delaying the process until the fall would provide ample time for accurate census data to become available. However, some say flaws in the data remain as the deadline approaches.  The most recent problem is that the state’s prison population have been designated as residents of the prison in which they are incarcerated rather than the inmate’s last known place of residence, according to Joe Fulgham, communication officer for the House Republican Caucus.  The Democrats are not sharing their progress, Fulgham said.  The General Assembly is statutorily required to convene before their own Nov. 7 deadline in order to approve district maps with enough time for candidates in the redrawn districts to meet residency deadlines. Delaware state law requires that candidates for the House of Representatives and Senate live in their constituent district for at least one year prior to their election.  The next election for state representatives and senators will be Nov. 8, 2022. Every seat in both houses will be up for election, with those elected becoming the 152nd General Assembly. If the General Assembly approves the redrawn maps on Nov. 7 — the last day for them to do so — incumbent General Assembly members who are drawn out of their current district would have just one day to move their primary residence within the redrawn district. If they fail to do so, those individuals could not meet the 1-year residency requirement. Residency requirements could be further complicated if Democrats and Republicans are unable to reach a consensus by Nov. 7.  Candidates who manage to meet the residency deadline must file for state legislative primary elections by July 12, 2022. That means candidates would have eight months to decide to seek election and meet other ballot access requirements.  Those requirements include a $945 fee for members of qualified parties or a petition with the signatures of 1% of the district’s registered voters for unaffiliated independent candidates.  The General Assembly’s special session is the last of many steps in the redistricting process before the legislation is sent to the governor for approval. Before that, the majority caucuses must craft their maps and submit them to their members for input and feedback. They will then adjust the maps to satisfy their members and secure a consensus among their membership for approval before making their maps […]

More than 100 people attended a Monday night panel about alternatives to COVID-19 vaccines and treatments   Update: This story has been altered to reflect a change of employment by a panel member. More than 100 people gathered in Newark Monday evening to hear a panel of medical officials offer alternative ways to deal with COVID-19. Panelists denounced COVID-19 vaccines and advocated alternative treatments such as horse dewormer ivermectin, antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine, vitamins and essential oils, many in direct conflict with mainstream medical advice. The town hall event, hosted by the Delaware Medical Freedom Alliance and Patriots for Delaware, featured an eclectic group of doctors and medical professionals from around the world, including three medical doctors, one osteopathic doctor, one naturopathic doctor and one chiropractor.  The event began with the pledge of allegiance, after which Lewes artist and panel moderator Abraxas Hudson remarked, “We need to work on the liberty part.”  A donation basket was passed to help pay for the venue. Delaware Medical Freedom Alliance founder Jeremy Malin said that he created the group because “there are more pathways to health than vaccination and that message is not being told.” Emcee Abraxas Hudson shows what he says was a blank insert he got from his pharmacist that is included in all Moderna vaccine packages. Seated to the right is Dr. Adam Brownstein of Beebe Healthcare in Milton. On the panel were: Dr. H. Bruce Carrick, a Wilmington-area chiropractor who plugged naturopathic remedies. Dr. Peter J. Glidden, a Minnesota-based naturopathic doctor, via Zoom. Dr. Shankara Chetty, a medical doctor in South Africa who said he has treated his patients with  hydroxychloroquine, via Zoom. Dr. Craig M. Wax,  a New Jersey osteopathic doctor whose website says he can “help you to gain your best health though [SIC] positive thinking, motivation, nutrition, hydration, exercise, sleep, avoiding poisons and #notfood, and lifestyle modification.” He spoke via Zoom. Dr. Daniel W. Stock, an Indiana medical doctor whose comments at a Mt. Vernon Community Schools board meeting went viral in early August within anti-mask and anti-COVID-vaccination crowds, via Zoom. Dr. Peter McCullough, a Texas medical doctor currently being sued by his former Dallas-based employer for allegedly spreading vaccine misinformation while using his former job title and employer name in media interviews, via Zoom. Dr. Adam Brownstein, a Milton family medicine doctor, who went into private practice Wednesday. After Stock spoke, Hudson said, “I prefer vitamin D to tyranny” to great applause. A table at the entrance to the venue was positioned to allow each visitor to complete a  “Covid Immunity Certificate.”  The certificates allowed individuals to select which kind of immunity they claim to have, from “robust innate immunity” to “acquired immunity.”  Other options include medical and religious exemptions, as well as the choice to mark “vaccinated” with blank spaces for the vaccine manufacturer and batch number.  After a Beebe spokesman asked for a correction about Brownstein’s employment, Brownstein said he had left healthcare system to go into private practice, a move that had been planned for three months. His departure and the panel were not related, he said. During the meeting, Brownstein said he was not pro- or anti-vaccines, but believed people should have a choice. “He is not a spokesperson for Beebe Healthcare,” said a statement from Beebe Healthcare spokesman Ryan Marshall. “As a science-based health system, we firmly stand behind the science of the COVID vaccine and related safety measures, and their vital role in helping prevent serious illness and furthering our collective goal of ending the pandemic.”  

The committee responsible for drafting the state’s budget has voted to restore the senior property tax credit to its pre-2017 level. The credit was cut from $500 to $400 per year in 2017 in an effort to close a budget shortfall that year. Currently, the program allows homeowners ages 65 and over to claim a tax credit against regular school property taxes of 50%, up to $400. Those who moved to Delaware after January 1, 2018 must reside in the state for 10 years to be eligible for the credit. The tax credit may only be used against property taxes on a primary residence. Tuesday’s vote is the first step toward raising that credit to $500.   “For many seniors throughout the state, an extra $100 can mean the difference in paying a utility bill, groceries, or even prescription medication,” said Rep. Kim Williams, D-Stanton. “Given our current budget situation, it’s the right thing to do to provide seniors with a little extra financial support.” According to the Department of Finance, in fiscal year 2021, more than 70,000 property owners received the senior property tax credit, averaging about $340 each. “I could not be more thrilled at hearing this great news,” said Rep. Mike Ramone, R-Hockessin. “I have been fighting for restoration of the credit for multiple years now and, finally being able to tell our senior citizens that some financial relief is coming their way, has made it all worth the work.” The Joint Finance Committee approved the increase during “markup,” a period during which the committee takes the governor’s recommended budget and votes on specific funding requests. The committee will continue reviewing and voting on funding priorities for the fiscal 2023 operating budget this week.  Once completed, legislative budget staff will write the final budget bill, which must be approved by the entire General Assembly.

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